Laval woman's body found in Mexico days after travel partner's suicide in Quebec

Laval woman's body found in Mexico days after travel partner's suicide in Quebec

The body of a Laval, Que., woman who went missing last week has been found near her hotel in Mexico, local authorities say. Her partner killed himself the day after he returned to Canada without his luggage.

Christine St-Onge had travelled to Mexico with Pierre Bergeron, who later killed himself

Mexican authorities say they have found the body of Christine St-Onge of Laval, Que. (Submitted by Sûreté du Québec)

The body of a Laval, Que., woman who went missing last week has been found near her hotel in Mexico, local authorities say.

Christine St-Onge, 41, was last heard from on Dec. 4.

Her body was found near a hotel in Los Cabos, a popular tourist destination where she had been staying with her partner, Pierre Bergeron.

The state attorney's office said during a news conference Wednesday that St-Onge died from a head injury and her body was moved to outside the hotel.

Investigators said she had been dead for at least five days.

Returned without luggage

St-Onge had travelled to Mexico with Bergeron, who returned to Quebec on Dec. 5. The prosecutor said the man did not take any luggage with him when he returned to Canada.

He was found dead the next day. Provincial police said it was death by suicide.

After the man's body was found, a joint investigation was launched by the RCMP, Quebec provincial police and Mexican authorities.

Provincial police say they are in contact with St-Onge's family, and a second autopsy will be performed on the body once it is returned to Canada.

Provincial police treating death as suspicious

The Sûreté du Québec is treating the death as suspicious and is waiting for the body to arrive in Canada before confirming it is St-Onge.

"You have to understand that there is some complexity," SQ spokesperson Sgt. Claude Denis told Radio-Canada.

"This is not in Quebec, it is in another country. But there are investigative steps to formally establish the identity of the body that was found."

The RCMP said in a statement that it is in contact with provincial police concerning this case and will "support law enforcement partners as appropriate," but declined to comment on any co-operation with law enforcement in other countries.